Landscape Juice

UK Native Seed Hub launched by Kew

Keith Datchler collecting seed at Beech Farm The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew has launched a seed bank for native plant species that will help protect and ultimately restore disappearing wild flower meadows in the UK. The four-year £750,000 scheme will begin with flowers from lowland meadows before extending to help in the growing of woodland and moorland flowers. The UK Native Seed Hub is part of Kew's Millennium Seed Bank and the work will look to provide high-quality seeds and scientific advice to groups growing wildflower meadows across the country. Professor Stephen Hopper, CEO and chief scientist at Kew,... Read more →

Wildlife-friendly gardening is not boring, says Marc Carlton

These days the essence of pollination biology has become the subject of domestic chit-chat, at least as far as bees are concerned. For one thing what happens to bees affects us all. Bees sitting on flowers are about as tangible and normal as raindrops falling from a cloud and about as essential to life, or that's what we all learn from an early age. So why then did Marc Carlton, a statistician and keen gardener, refer to studying pollination biology in 2005 as a flash of insight? It is because the stories about falling bee numbers and loss of habitat... Read more →

Bird decline halted by farmland management

More fields than ever before are being managed to halt the decline in farmland bird populations, according to new figures from Natural England. The organisation says over 152,000 hectares (375,000 acres) of arable farmland are now providing vital winter food and habitat through farmers adopting bird-friendly measures as part of their environmental stewardship (ES) agreements. More than 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) of farmland bird options were added by farmers within higher level stewardship schemes in the last year alone. Natural England, the RSPB and farmers have focussed on creating the right sort of conditions for farmland birds. By growing seeds,... Read more →

Van Gogh's, A Wheatfield, with Cypresses recreated as a living wall

The National Gallery plays host to a unique plant display One of Van Gogh's most famous paintings, A Wheatfield, with Cypresses, has been recreated as a living wall on the side of the National Gallery in London. The ANS Group has grown the wall using more than 8,000 plants of various species. The artwork was created by hand-planting each plant into 640 modules, using a numbered drawing, which were grown at ANS’ southern nursery in Aldingbourne, hung vertically to establish and then delivered to the National Gallery. The arrangement of plants is found on the western side of the National... Read more →

Tiptoe through bluebells and help the Woodland Trust

The Woodland Trust has released a charity single, Tiptoe Through the Bluebells, which it hopes will inspire people to visit their local woods. Based on the 1929 recording Tiptoe Through the Tulips, the song is performed by Misty Miller and can be downloaded via iTunes with the money raised going to the Woodland Trust. Read more →

'Why we care about chalk streams' garden for WWF 50th anniversary at Hampton Court

WWF’s 50th anniversary garden, ‘Why we care about chalk streams’ to highlight the importance of water conservation in the charity’s work in the UK. The WWF garden, created by garden designer Fiona Stephenson and supported by the HSBC Climate Partnership, recreates a tranquil chalk stream with a twist to inspire visitors to protect the UK’s threatened rivers and eco-systems. The garden hints at a country scene with a chalk stream, but on closer inspection there are hidden messages - a giant plug and sphere artwork allude to this habitat being under threat from our over use and extraction of water.... Read more →

Watch out for bluebells with the National Trust

The National Trust is using Twitter and Google Maps to track the progress of bluebells as they come into flower across the UK. Their Bluebell Watch website allows people to send a short message through Twitter featuring the postcode of where they have spotted the flower. There is also the option of including a photograph of the bluebell, which can then be seen on a Google Map alongside those posted by others around the country. The south east of England currently has the most flowers mapped, with other 'hot spots' towards the West Country and North West England. Bluebell experts... Read more →

The immortal 'snowdroppers' at Avon bulbs

Sometimes fame comes out of the blue. There are stories about paintings that are posthumously appreciated, or hidden talent discovered after catching the public eye. One story this week has a touch of the gods or deities about it, as it involves invoking the immortals. It is connected to 'Les immortels de l'Académie', a group of forty elected representatives in the French Academy who strictly approve words for the French Language. In the UK, the latest edition of the Chambers or Oxford dictionary can be the first notification the public has, that a word is official. The French immortals inspired... Read more →

Bracken control with Asulox comes under scrutiny

The control of bracken by aerial spraying Asulox is common practice. But there is a possibility that the herbicide will be banned during a 9th March, European committee meeting. Some groups fear the effect on controlling bracken without recourse to Asulox, writes Carol Miers. In an article called Bracken control in Scotland at risk, The National Farmers Union Scotland (NFUS) said they are 'deeply alarmed and view the continued use of Asulox as vital to keeping many of Scotland’s hills and uplands in a grazeable condition'. The NFUS vice-president, John Picken said: "Such is the importance of Asulox to Scottish... Read more →

Future food supplies boosted by wild plants

Chives, mint and borage can be found whilst walking around the local woodlands. However other plants like sea beet, wild cabbage and turnip or particular wild grasses are harder to find. These are the ancient relatives of modern food crops such as sugar beet, oil seed rape, and forage crops and they are very important. According to Natural England these ancient plants are essential for future food supplies. The Natural England report: Crop Wild Relatives: conservation for food security says that we will need to develop new, more resilient, food varieties in the 21st century and that the genes of... Read more →